Campaigns
Pell Grants for Incarcerated Students
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is partnering with the College and Community Fellowship and The Fortune Society as part of the Education from the Inside Out Coalition to help remove barriers to higher education funding facing students in prison.
The 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act dismantled higher education in prisonby eliminating inmate eligibility for Pell Grants. Providing access to higher education has a rippleeffect that extends far beyond the rehabilitation of incarcerated people. Higher education has apositive impact on society by reducing recidivism, increasing public safety and strengthening communities.
Incarceration Without Education is a Bad Investment
- Nationally, correctional costs consume $68BN each year. One in every 31 people in the USis under some form of correctional supervision: jail, prison, probation or parole. More than2/3 of incarcerated people are re-arrested for a new offense within three years of their release, a clear indication that current correctional policies are failing.
- Increasing incarceration rates don’t pay off. Despite the significant rise in the correctional population over the past 25 years, rising rates of imprisonment have not been shown toreduce crime or increase public safety.
- Education is proven to lower recidivism, thus lowering incarceration costs. For everydollar invested in correctional education programs, two dollars are saved through prevented recidivism.
Resources
- Issue Summary (PDF)
- Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Sign Our Call to Action Letter!
- Sample Student Government Resolution
- Introduce this resolution to your school's Student Government and ask that they endorse the campaign to restore Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students and join the Education from the Inside Out Coalition.
- Education from the Inside Out Coalition
- FAQ About Aid Eligibility for Incarcerated Students
